Last October, after a public comment period that apparently had few if any comments, GA-EPD reissued Hahira’s wastewater permit, with eight major changes, all tightening or updating effluent limits.

Collage Hahira wastewater treatment plant permit reissuance request NPDES GA0037974 2025-10-16

The re-issued permit is on the WWALS website.

Please Note The Following Changes to the Proposed NPDES Permit From The Existing Permit:

Part I.B — Effluent Limitations and Monitoring Requirements — Stream Discharge:

• Decreased the monthly average biochemical oxygen Demand (BODs) limit from 30 mg/L to 20 mg/L to be protective of the instream Water Quality standards (WQS) for Dissolved Oxygen (DO).
• Decreased the monthly average ammonia limit from 10 mg/L to 1.0 mg/L to be protective of the instream WQS for DO and address toxicity impairment.
• Added a daily minimum dissolved oxygen limit of 5.0 mg/L to be protective of the instream WQS for DO.
• Added monthly total nitrogen (TN) limit of 20 mg/L to meet Florida’s instream nutrient criteria at the State line.
• Added total phosphorus (TP) limit of 3.6 mg/L to meet Florida’s instream nutrient criteria at the state line
• Replaced monthly average fecal coliform effluent limit of 200 counts/100 mL with monthly average Escherichia coli (E. coli) of 126 counts/100 mL to reflect the recently approved bacterial indicator for freshwater. The proposed limit is in accordance with EPD’s Bacteria Equivalency Strategy for Using the Optimal Indicator Organisms for WQS and NPDES Permitting, 2022.
• Converted mass loading limits from kg/day to lbs/day to be consistent with other NPDES permits in Georgia.
• Added effluent data monitoring testing requirements for future permit renewal.

The settling ponds are at 598 Hall St, Hahira, GA 31632.

What the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA-EPD) calls the “unnamed tributary to Franks Creek”, we call Hahira LAS Pond Branch on the WWALS map of the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail.

Map: Hahira LAS in WLRWT

The sprayfields are farther south, east of Brookridge Drive and west of the railroad. They are next to Vickers Branch, which runs west under Old US 41 N and the railroad, then just south of the sprayfields and Brookridge Drive, under Union Road and I-75, and into Franks Creek.

Here is GA-EPD’s map of the various Hahira wastewater facilities, including the pipe connecting them:

System Map: Hahira Wastewater Treatment
PDF

Franks Creek drains into the Little River before that river joins the Withlacoochee River.

See also other Hahira permit information and other wastewater permits.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

Covers

SUMMARY PAGE NPDES Permit No.: GA0037974 Changes
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FS

FACT SHEET Technical Contact: Ethan Rhine, Environmental Engineer
PDF

PC

4. PERMIT CONDITIONS AND EFFLUENT LIMITATIONS
PDF

CP

4.4 Conventional Pollutants
PDF

CalcEL

4.7 Calculations for Effluent Limits
PDF

PCL

5. PERMIT CONDITIONS AND LIMITATIONS FOR THE LAND TREATMENT SYSTEM
PDF

OPR

6. OTHER PERMIT REQUIREMENTS AND CONSIDERATIONS
PDF

PE

9. PERMIT EXPIRATION 10. PROCEDURES FOR THE FORMULATION OF FINAL DETERMINATIONS
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AppA

Appendix A: Waste Load Allocation (WLA)
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AppB

Appendix B: Effluent Limit Calculations
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AppC

Appendix C: Ammonia Toxicity Calculations
PDF

DPC

Cover: Draft Permit
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41 – 45

GA0037974–Hahira-WPCP–Draft-Permit-Package–2024-0041
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B1

B.1. EFFLUENT LIMITATIONS AND MONITORING REQUIREMENTS: table for flow, Oxycgen, TS, N, E. coli
PDF

B2

B.2. as specified below starting 54 months after issuance: table including E. coli
PDF

B3

B.3. LAND TREATMENT SYSTEM (SPRAYFIELDS)
PDF

SC

C. MONITORING AND REPORTING
PDF

PII

PART IT A. MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS
PDF

PIII

PART III INDUSTRIAL PRETREATMENT PROGRAM FOR PUBLICLY OWNED TREATMENT WORKS (POTW)
PDF

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